Sommers Schwartz attorney Kenneth Watkins negotiated a $375,000 settlement in a claim for the wrongful death of an 86-year-old woman who died after suffering a fatal injury during a cardiac rehabilitation session. Her death was an avoidable result of negligence and violations of the applicable standards of care.

The patient was prescribed a course of cardiac rehabilitation sessions after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure that treats coronary artery disease by improving blood flow to the heart. While using a treadmill during a rehab session, she slipped, fell, and struck her head on another piece of exercise equipment. The fall caused a hematoma in her brain that proved to be fatal.

Multiple mistakes and failures to meet the applicable standards of care led to this active senior’s death. The cardiac rehabilitation technician improperly instructed the patient to use a treadmill, which was not part of her treatment plan because of a history of stroke and subsequent weakness. The rehab tech compounded this mistake by implementing no safety precautions and failing to properly supervise her while she used the treadmill.

The lawsuit alleged this patient’s death resulted directly from the professional negligence of the cardiac rehabilitation technician, acting as an agent of the defendant hospital system. The parties negotiated the settlement after mediation.